On the 11th and 12th of June, the CIB Working Group meeting took place in Bergen, Norway, on the invitation of KS Norway and the city of Bergen.
Active participation and valuable input of CIB members made the meeting a successful event.
On the 11th and 12th of June, the CIB Working Group meeting took place in Bergen, Norway, on the invitation of KS Norway and the city of Bergen. Active participation and valuable input of CIB members made the meeting a successful event.
Funds
The Working Group meeting in Bergen made clear that various CIB members experience difficulties in securing funds for the continuation of their cooperation efforts; due to the economic and financial crisis or due to negative evaluations of programmes. Evaluations that recently have been carried out had different conclusions as to the added value and efficiency of the programmes.
Strategically investing in lobbying
Concerning the lobby and advocacy strategy of the CIB Working Group, one of the main conclusions was that the Working Group will be involved in strategically investing more in the relations with the OECD and the UN in the debates on international effective development cooperation and the post 2015 development goals. The finalization of the Policy Paper on Development Cooperation and Local Government means an important step in this regard. Strong cases of local government development cooperation will be collected and the concept of coordination among CIB members will be revisited.
Furthermore, CIB members will be kept informed on the progress of the EC Communication on LG Development, activities of PLATFORMA and the Informal Donor Working Group on Decentralization and Local Governance.
Improved communication tools
The meeting emphasized the fact that CIB members should agree on the role of the CIB Working Group for the next period. To help identify this role, the CIB secretariat will focus on enhancing parts of the website and create more online exchange possibilities for members.
All conclusions and the way forward can be found in the report of the CIB meeting.